


Putting Myself Back Together

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Series: Shatt Week 2017 (AKA I'm sorry I'm trash) [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Shatt Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:27:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: Shiro goes back to school after a terrible accident and finds himself behind on everything.





	Putting Myself Back Together

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 6:** _~~Garrison Days~~ /Highschool AU/ ~~College AU~~_
> 
> I was fighting this fic all day and finally decided just to cut it short. Here is the result.

It was difficult, coming back to school.

Shiro couldn't ignore the stares, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't ignore the way the football team avoided talking to him, as if he was no longer useful or necessary the way he was. He couldn't ignore the way his classmates seemed to whisper silently as he passed, their eyes locked on the place where his right arm used to be.

So instead, he focused on the fact that he was fucked.

He was so far behind on all his work, after so long in the hospital. He sat in Pre-Cal on his first day back, staring at the board, and could barely comprehend any of it. The work that his teachers gave him to make up made no fucking sense, and even arriving early to ask them for help, they were always too busy or just told him to read the textbook. And with each day, he just got further and further behind, trying to figure out his make-up work and keep up with the rest of his class as they blazed ahead.

He didn't answer a single question on his first test when he got back.

Shiro hated that things couldn't just...go back to normal. He knew that was impossible. A lot of things had been lost in the accident. He just wanted some sort of control over his life again, the kind of control that the accident had ripped violently from him. He couldn't control his classmates and his teachers, and he couldn't control his health and how his body was handling the results of the accident, but his grades were something that he had always been on top of, and now that was slipping out of his grasp too.

He felt like he was falling behind everything, not just his grades. That he was going to be left in the dust and there was nothing he could do.

* * *

His Physics teacher finally had enough, and called him to his room after school. Inside was a much shorter boy, who glanced in his direction and immediately looked away, his ears turning red.

Shiro, never one to assume the best in any situation, sighed and approached the desk, asking, "You wanted to see me, Mr. Holt?"

The man gave him a friendly, reassuring smile, explaining, "I noticed you were struggling with your classes, Shiro. Since I know how important your grades are to you, I've asked my son Matt to tutor you, in order to help you catch up." He gestured to the boy, who froze, then gave an uneasy smile.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be helping you catch up with your work?" Matt explained, sounding a little uneasy and awkward. Shiro imagined that was his fault; no one had really been comfortable talking to him after the accident, especially with such an obvious reminder that things weren't exactly the same anymore.

So he forced a smile onto his face and stuck his hand out, saying, "Nice to meet you. I really appreciate you helping me out."

"No problem."

The two exchanged numbers and arranged to meet in the library after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays before Shiro finally managed to escape, his false happiness falling off his face the moment he was alone.

Fucking spectacular. He wasn't sure what was worse, the possibility of failing and having to repeat the year, or the likelihood that he was going to spend a couple hours after school for weeks with someone who probably wouldn't even be able to look him in the eye, just as all his classmates hadn't been able to. He wished he could be fitted with a prosthetic to at least give people the illusion of normalcy, but instead he was stuck with an empty shirt sleeve and the knowledge that none of his classmates had even looked him in the eyes since he came back.

This was not going to be fun.

* * *

He arrived at the library to find Matt already at a table, doing his best not to look at Shiro as he began, "Alright, so what class are you struggling with the most?"

Shiro hesitated, before laughing sheepishly and asking, "Can I just say all of them?"

Matt shrugged, deciding, "Alright then. So, we'll start with Pre-Cal, since that will lend itself to Physics, then after those two we work on English, and then US History. If we have time after that, we can work on your electives. We can rearrange that as we go along if you are struggling with something more or less. Sound good?"

"Sure."

With their Pre-Cal textbooks out and Shiro's assignment laid out in front of them, Matt began assisting him.

* * *

He wouldn't deny it: Matt's assistance was helping Shiro, slowly but surely. But Matt still wouldn't look him in the eyes, and barely allowed any sort of small talk. Shiro was getting frustrated with this, and it honestly pissed him off. He hated that Matt seemed constantly on edge around him, and maybe that was building up with all the tension of everything since he had woken up to find himself down an arm.

So it was when he looked up at Matt, who instantly turned his head to avoid his gaze, that he finally snapped.

"Okay, I'm done," Shiro stated, closing his textbook and standing up.

"Wha-Shiro?" 

Shiro looked at him and, doing his best not to shout, clearly stated, "You clearly are not comfortable around me. I get it. It's awkward as fuck having to be around me. Everyone had made that clear. I'm going to go ahead and relieve you of your duties so you don't have to deal with me."

He finished grabbing his things and turned around, about to head out the door, when Matt grabbed his left arm.

"Wait. Let me explain."

Shiro turned around, raising an eyebrow. Matt looked him firmly in the eyes for about five seconds, before his face flushed a deep red and he looked away, mumbling something unintelligible.

"What?"

"Okay, look," Matt explained, sounding just as frustrated. "I am easily intimidated by hot people, alright? And you are really fucking hot, for fuck's sake? So the reason I can't look you in the eyes is because doing so makes me feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust, okay? And I couldn't exactly tell you that because that would just make things more awkward and honestly I don't think we can find a solution unless you can suddenly just stop being attractive somehow, so sorry."

Shiro gaped in surprise, the shock effectively silencing him as his brain attempted a reboot. Then he immediately flushed a vibrant red and stammered, "O-Oh. I'm-I'm sorry I a-assumed." He laughed a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and longing to be struck down in that second before he embarrassed himself even more. "Uh, thanks? For thinking I'm attractive?" Fuck, did that sound weird?

"Uh, no problem," Matt answered, still looking like a tomato. "So...uh...pretend this conversation never happened?"

"Yes please."

"Thank god."

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before Shiro set his books down and took a seat, asking, "So! Pre-Cal?"

"Yeah! Pre-Cal!"


End file.
